MANILA, Philippines—The United Nations has kicked off over the weekend a campaign to stop corruption and expose the “corrosive effect” if has on the economic and social well-being of people around the world.
In a press statement from its Manila office, the UN said it seeks to raise awareness on how corruption blocks progress toward meeting the Millennium Development Goals, the internationally agreed anti-poverty targets for poor countries.
The campaign would be done through a series of six posters and online information on a range of issues from vote rigging and embezzlement of funds to subverting the judicial
system and obstructing access to education.
The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the UN Development Fund (UNDP)
launched the campaign—“Your NO Counts” which calls on individuals to take
a stand against corruption—ahead of next week’s gathering of countries
signed up to a legally-binding anti-corruption treaty.
The week-long meeting of over two-thirds of the 192 UN Member States which
have ratified the Convention against Corruption will be held in Doha,
Qatar, to discuss the implementation of the treaty.
The Convention, overseen by UNODC, helps countries ensure judicial
integrity, improve legislation, and develop strategies to fight corruption
effectively.
